Here's what's in the December 11th release:

Relate

• Group Texting 🔷

🔷Sandbox preview available. Contact your Customer Success Manager for more information.

Relate 

Group Texting

Group Texting on Relate allows users to send and receive messages as well as share files (in JPEG, GIF, and PNG formats) with groups of up to 9 contacts simultaneously, while also meeting compliance guidelines. Group Texting makes several use cases possible, such as allowing a wealth advisor to simultaneously hold conversations with multiple individuals in a household, or empowering an insurance agent to communicate with many different team members in a client organization at the same time.

After a group has been created, all group members can send and receive messages from the group. Each group has a group name, which can be edited. It is not possible to add or remove members from an existing group. If people need to be added or removed from a group, then a new group must be created. After a message is sent to the group, anyone in the group can respond. A check mark appears on sent messages indicating the message has been received by the carrier. 

Note: Toll-free numbers are not supported in group texts.

Opting In and Attestation Functionality

All group members must have previously opted in to receiving messages to be included in the group. If a contact has not opted in to receiving messages, they must complete the organization’s opt-in process before that can be added to a group. If any group member opts out of receiving text messages, the group creator can no longer send messages to the group. However, the group will still receive messages from other members and these messages will be viewable in the conversation window.

Archiving and Compliance

Group Texting follows the organization’s existing archiving and compliance policies. Currently, only the violation appears in Supervision, but the entire thread will be viewable in early 2024. 

Support for Additional Features in Relate

Group Texting supports: 

• Using Message Templates
• Sending attachments in JPEG, GIF, and PNG formats
• Filtering all messages to only view Group Texts  

 Group Texting does not support: 

• Sending scheduled messages 
• Sending contact cards
• Voice calling
• Reminders     

Preview

To preview Group Texting in a sandbox environment for Hearsay Desktop, or to preview the Group Texting availability note on Android, contact your Customer Success Manager.

To preview Group Texting in the Hearsay Mobile iOS app, use this TestFlight link: https://testflight.apple.com/join/PPhPE362

To preview Group Texting in the Hearsay for Intune iOS app, use this TestFlight link: https://testflight.apple.com/join/XdyF7Qs5   

To learn more about how to use TestFlight to test mobile features, click here.

Availability

This feature is DISABLED for all organizations by default and can be enabled per organization at the hierarchy level by contacting your Customer Success Manager. 

Group Texting is initially only available on Hearsay Desktop and on the Hearsay Mobile iOS app. Users on Android and Embedded Relate for Salesforce will see a message saying that Group Texting is currently not supported and they can view their group texts by logging in to their account on Hearsay Desktop. 

Group Texting is expected to be released for Android early next year, followed by Embedded Relate for Salesforce later in 2024. 

Learn More

To learn more about how to use Group Texting, see these articles in Hearsay's Help Center:

• Creating a Group Text on Hearsay Desktop
• Creating a Group Text on the Hearsay Mobile iOS app
• Editing a Group Name on Hearsay Desktop
• Editing a Group Name on the Hearsay Mobile iOS app
• Filtering Conversations to only view Group Texts on Hearsay Desktop
• Filtering Conversations to only view Group Texts on the Hearsay Mobile iOS app

Group Texting on the Hearsay Mobile iOS app

Temporary message about Group Texting shown to Android users

Group Texting on Hearsay Desktop

Create a new group on Hearsay Desktop

Filter for Group Texts on Hearsay Desktop

A new Expires filter helps admins see which posts are expiring soon in the Suggested Posts Library, which allows for prompt replacement of expiring content.

The new filter finds posts that are expiring during the next 7, 30, or 60 days.

Top of Filters view with new Expires option

The Hearsay functionality that automatically creates contacts from social media interactions, like post replies and likes, often doesn’t provide enough contact information to be valuable to advisors/agents. To avoid creating contacts that may not be useful, admins can now disable creating contacts from social media interactions, which helps advisors/agents focus on more actionable clients, prospects, and leads.

To disable contact creation from social media interactions, reach out to your Customer Success Manager.  

To make it easier for admins to oversee all AI-related settings at one place, the organizational setting that allows users to view and select posts from the Recommended tab in the Post Library has been moved. Previously, the setting was in Organizational Settings, under the Workspace & Emails tab. Now, it is in the AI tab. 

In addition, the setting has been renamed from Recommended in Post Library to Allow Recommended tab with AI in Post Library. The new name better clarifies the function of the setting.

Allow Recommended tab with AI in Post Library setting

Users can now navigate to site-specific data for each website listed on their My Websites page. When a user clicks the new Go to Sights Insights link next to a specific website on the My Websites page, the Insights page opens and automatically filters for data for the specified website instead of showing aggregated data for all websites in the workspace. This enhancement allows users to get data for a single site more easily with one click rather than filter for it.

My Websites page with new Insights links 

Here's what to look for in the December 11th release. 

The guidance in this document is offered for early planning purposes and is subject to change up to the time of release. 

Relate 

Group Texting

Problem Solved: Advisors/agents cannot communicate with a group of people at the same time. For example, an advisor/agent cannot simultaneously hold conversations with multiple individuals in a household, or with multiple team members in a client organization. The absence of Group Texting hinders collective discussion, collaboration, coordination, as well as sharing information efficiently.

Expected Value: Group Texting will provide the following value: 

• Provide enhanced ability to reach out to multiple contacts with one message to optimize efforts,  as well as build and strengthen relationships. 
• Improve the advisor/agent’s productivity by decreasing the repetitive work of maintaining separate conversations about the same subject with multiple different members of a group. 
• Encourage a collaborative and participatory approach to sharing information, which enhances transparency.
• Drive a better user experience and make cross functional collaboration easier and more productive.
• Support data monitoring capabilities for sales, training, customer success, and finding new opportunities.
• Archive data and meet compliance guidelines.

Expected Solution: Relate Group Texting will allow advisors/agents to compose and send messages as well as share files (in JPEG, GIF, and PNG formats) with groups of up to 10 contacts simultaneously while meeting compliance guidelines. All group members will need to opt-in to receiving messages to be included in the group. Once a group has been created, the advisor/agent and group members will be able to send and receive messages from the group. Advisors/agents will be able to create a group name or edit the name of an existing group. Advisors/agents will also be able to filter the messages in their conversation window to only view Group Texts.

Group Texting will follow your organization’s existing archiving and compliance policies. 

Advisors/agents will not be able to add additional members to an existing group or remove members from an existing group. If people need to be added or removed from a group, then a new group will need to be created. 

If any group member changes their attestation status and opts out of receiving text messages, then the advisor/agent will not be able to send messages to the group. However, the group will still receive messages from other members and the advisor/agent will be able to view these messages in the conversation window.

Group Texting will initially only be available on Relate Desktop and the Hearsay Mobile iOS app, while advisors/agents on Android and Salesforce Embedded Relate will see a message saying that Group Texting is not currently available, but is coming soon. 

Group Texting will initially not support sending scheduled messages or voice calling.     

Who is impacted: Advisor/Agent, Client, Compliance Admin
Archiving and Compliance Implications: None
Availability: On for all organizations. Group Texting will initially be available on Relate Desktop and the Hearsay Mobile iOS app, while users on Android and Embedded Relate for Salesforce will be shown a message saying that Group Texting will be enabled in a future release.

To take advantage of the following enhancements, update to the latest version of the Hearsay Mobile app. Apple/iOS updates are currently available in the App Store for Hearsay Mobile, Hearsay for Intune, and Hearsay for Blackberry. Android updates will be available in the Play Store for Hearsay Mobile and Hearsay for Intune by the end of next week. 

Relate onboarding language change in Hearsay Mobile

The Relate onboarding process no longer mentions “texting prospects” in order to comply with TCPA regulations.  

New language 

Hearsay Mobile text composer enhancements

A modernized message composer makes composing messages and starting conversations easier. It includes the following changes:

• The character limit for web and personalized opt-in messages has increased from 160 to 500. 
• The composer window can be expanded to fit larger messages by touching the horizontal bar at the top of the window and dragging it up or down.
• Users can send photos, saved links, and share contact information with fewer taps and a larger, more detailed preview window.
• Minor changes to shading and button colors creates a more modern look and feel.

 Increased opt-in character limit

Expanding text composer

New attachment preview window 

Due to changes in X/Twitter’s v2.0 API, Hearsay is no longer able to support users liking their own posts or replying to comments on their post in the Hearsay platform. To prevent inactive tools from confusing users and cluttering the interface, the Like button has been removed from X/Twitter accounts on the Respond page in the Published Posts tab. The Reply button is now called Replies, and allows users to view past replies to their post, but not create new replies in Hearsay. Users can still publish an X/Twitter post via Hearsay, and Hearsay can still crawl X/Twitter and create alerts for likes and replies.

X/Twitter Like button removed and Reply button replaced with Replies

Here's what's in the November 13th release: 

Data and Analytics 

• Sites Insights for advisors 🔷
• Localization of all admin reports 
• Breakdown by Relate Workspace report includes the workspace owner's email address

Social 

• Alternative descriptions for suggested posts enabled by default 🔷
• Ignore or archive responses to LinkedIn Recruiter and/or Sales Navigator InMail messages 🔷
• Archive LinkedIn Recruiter and/or Sales Navigator InMail messages independently of regular private messages 🔷

Relate - Embedded Relate

• Customize the Ask for Permission page in Embedded Relate 🔷
• Send a personalized opt-in message from Embedded Relate 🔷
• Embedded Relate supports opting-in by implied consent 🔷
• Disable opt-in messages in Embedded Relate 🔷
• Enable the Whitelist/Global Optout option when requesting permission to text a contact in Embedded Relate 🔷

Platform 

• Increased API security after creating a token 🔷
• Reactivate deleted contacts when imported or added via the API

🔷Sandbox preview available. Contact your Customer Success Manager for more information.

Data & Analytics

Sites Insights for advisors

A new Sites Insights dashboard is accessible to end-users from the Insights page in the side menu. The Sites Insights dashboard shows key business measures at the individual Site level over a 3-month period, performance benchmarking against other advisors/agents in their hierarchy, as well as recommended actions to increase Site visits and improve lead generation. The Sites Insights dashboard provides the following measures:

• Number of visitors with a breakdown of new and returning visitors 
• Average time spent on the Site 
• Number of visitors by source type (e.g. Google Paid, Organic, HS Social) 
• Number of leads (based on the number of visitors who have submitted contact forms) 
• Lead types (based on whether the contact form was submitted as an event RSVP or whether the lead was sourced from the standard contact form).

Sites Insights for advisors will be available for organizations that allow Hearsay’s Google Analytics. Lead statistics on the Sites Insights dashboard will only be available to organizations using Hearsay lead forms. To enable this feature's sandbox preview, contact your Customer Success Manager.  

Sites Insights for advisors

Localization of all admin reports

The headers for all admin reports are now available in the preferred language set by the admin. Previously, these headers were only available in English.

Breakdown by Relate Workspace report includes the workspace owner’s email address

The Breakdown by Relate Workspace in-app Admin report has been extended with a new Workspace Owner Email Address field, which contains the email address of the workspace owner. This new field makes it easier for admins to track workspace-specific Relate performance and find the contact information for workspace owners. 

Workspace Owner Email Address field in the Breakdown by Relate Workspace report

Social

Alternative descriptions for suggested posts enabled by default

Social media algorithms favor posts with variable inputs such as alternative descriptions, which allow admins to create one post they can customize for different types of users and audiences. To help increase efficiency and improve social media strategy, alternative text descriptions are now enabled by default. 

When creating a suggested post, click Add Alternate Description and write an unlimited number of different descriptions to go with the post. When a user publishes the post, they can choose which description to use by clicking the < > arrows. This only changes the text part of the description, not any images, GIFs, PDFs, or videos included with the post. 

To enable this feature's sandbox preview, contact your Customer Success Manager. 

Admin publisher with Add Alternate Description feature

Advisor/agent publisher with arrows to choose which description to publish 

Ignore or archive responses to LinkedIn Recruiter and/or Sales Navigator InMail messages

Previously, only incoming LinkedIn Recruiter and Sales Navigator InMail messages were ignored based on their setting, and user responses to the messages were always archived even if the setting was set to ignore. Now, user responses to Recruiter and SalesNavigator messages are also ignored based on the setting. 

To change the setting in the Administration view:

1. In the side menu, click Settings, then click the Organizational Settings tab. 
2. On the Review & Archive tab, in the Social Activities section, click LinkedIn. 
3. Configure the settings for Recruiter InMail or Sales Navigator InMail.

To enable this feature's sandbox preview, contact your Customer Success Manager. 

Archive LinkedIn Recruiter and/or Sales Navigator InMail messages independently of regular private messages

Previously, admins could only archive LinkedIn Recruiter and/or Sales Navigator InMail messages if the regular private messages were also archived. Now, any combination of regular private messages, Recruiter InMail, and Sales Navigator InMail messages can be archived or ignored independently of one another in accordance with customer compliance policies. 

To change the setting in the Administration view:

1. In the side menu, click Settings, then click the Organizational Settings tab. 
2. On the Review & Archive tab, in the Social Activities section, click LinkedIn. 
3. Configure the settings for Private Messages, Recruiter InMail, or Sales Navigator InMail.

To enable this feature's sandbox preview, contact your Customer Success Manager. 

Recruiter and Sales Navigator settings are no longer a subset of Private Messages

Relate - Embedded Relate

The following updates only apply to organizations subscribing to Embedded Relate for Salesforce.

Customize the Ask for Permission page in Embedded Relate

Organizations can now customize the message prompt and button text shown to their advisors/agents on Embedded Relate when requesting permission to text their contacts. This update allows organizations to use their preferred language and include any reminders or disclosures on the page from which their advisors/agents send their initial message requesting permission to text a contact.

To customize your Ask for Permission page or to view a sandbox preview, reach out to your Customer Success Manager.

Customizable Ask for Permission page

Send a personalized opt-in message from Embedded Relate

Advisors/agents can now send a personalized opt-in message when requesting permission to text a contact in Embedded Relate. Previously, advisors/agents could only use a standard opt-in message when initiating a conversation. This update allows advisors/agents to adopt a more client-centric approach and send a personalized opt-in message when starting a new conversation. 

To enable sending personalized opt-in messages or to view a sandbox preview, reach out to your Customer Success Manager.

Embedded Relate supports opting-in by implied consent

Embedded Relate now supports opting-in by implied consent, which allows advisors/agents to text their contacts immediately after an implied consent attestation message has been sent. If opting-in by implied consent is enabled, then advisors/agents will not have to wait to send messages until the contact has replied YES to their initial opt-in message; they can send messages to their contacts immediately after an implied consent opt-in message has been sent. Opting-in by implied consent avoids hindering communication between contacts who may have an existing business relationship and/or who have a reasonable expectation of receiving specific messages.

To enable opting-in by implied consent or to view a sandbox preview, reach out to your Customer Success Manager.

Disable opt-in messages in Embedded Relate

Embedded Relate now supports disabling the requirement to send an opt-in message when initiating a conversation. When opt-in messages are disabled, advisors/agents can send messages to their contacts without asking for permission to contact them and waiting for them to reply YES to their initial message. This update allows organizations who may have already disabled opt-in messages in Relate desktop and mobile to extend this option to Embedded Relate as well. 

To disable opt-in messages in Embedded Relate or to view a sandbox preview, contact your Customer Success Manager.

Enable the Whitelist/Global Optout option when requesting permission to text a contact in Embedded Relate

The Whitelist/Global Optout setting allows organizations to tightly control who an advisor/agent can send messages to. If Whitelist/Global Optout is enabled, then advisors/agents can only send messages to contacts who have already been approved by their organization. Under Whitelist/Global Optout rules, if an advisor/agent attempts to send a message to a contact who hasn’t been approved by their organization, then Embedded Relate will not send the message. Instead, advisors/agents will see an error message informing them that they are trying to send a message to a contact who hasn’t been approved, and they should follow their organization’s procedure to get the number approved before they can send a message. This update allows organizations who may have already enabled Whitelist/Global Optout in Relate desktop and mobile to extend this option to Embedded Relate as well.

To enable the Whitelist/Global Optout option or to view a sandbox preview, contact your Customer Success Manager. 

Embedded Relate not allowing a message to be sent because of Whitelist/Global Optout rules

Platform

Increased API security after creating a token

In order to avoid the copying and misuse of security keys and improve the safety of customer data, the API token value is now only shown immediately after it is created. Then, the token is hidden in the list of tokens on the Integrations page. A new token must be created every time someone requires access to a new application.

To enable this feature's sandbox preview, contact your Customer Success Manager. 

Generating a new token with disclaimer 

Reactivate deleted contacts when imported or added via the API

For compliance purposes, deleted contacts are only hidden and cannot be permanently deleted from the system. Previously, if a user tried to import a contact that was previously imported and then “deleted”, the contact was still hidden and unavailable until it was restored manually on the Contacts page. Now, when a contact record is imported or added via the public API, Hearsay automatically restores and unhides any matching record that was previously deleted.

When importing a CSV file into the Contact page, rows that are skipped and the reason they were skipped are now included in the results email. The attachment in the email includes the skipped rows and an extra column to indicate the reason, which is most often missing data. This enhancement allows users to more easily identify and resolve issues with their CSV import files.